Instead, God brought them, for the God described in the Bible is none other than the God who was already known in the framework of our traditional African religiosity. As discussed elsewhere in this report, many Christians and Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa retain beliefs and rituals that are characteristic of traditional African religions. %PDF-1.3 75 0 obj Unlike in Europe and the United States, very few people in sub-Saharan Africa say they are unaffiliated with a particular faith. African religions and corresponding beliefs and practices This was an extremely liberating word in my theological thinking. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. This is, obviously, a general statement, one which needs detailed elaboration. The amount of devotees to indigenous practices has dwindled as Islam and Christianity have both spread and gained influence throughout the continent. Religious pluralism serves peace. In 1900 there were an estimated 9 million Christians (accounting for about 7 per cent of the population of Africa). 0000015705 00000 n 0000002264 00000 n So I read on and on, and conducted field research to learn more and more. Animism is a common feature of African religions, and misfortune is often attributed to witchcraft and sorcery. I have received much in a short period. The more I peeped into African religious insights about God, the more I felt utterly unable to use the word "only" in this case. AP US History Period 1, APUSH Period 1 Flashcards | Quizlet The beliefs and practices of the traditional religions in Africa can enrich Christian theology and spirituality." He sees the other faith as complementing and even adding spiritual potency to his own spiritual practice of constructing effective amulets. They derive from traditional African religions with some influence from other religious traditions, notably Christianity and Islam . This is in sharp contrast with the religious composition of the region about 100 years ago, when, according to a Pew Forum analysis of historical information from the World Religion Database, less than a quarter of the population identified as either Christian or Muslim. Consequently, traditional Africans have different ideas on what role the ancestors play in the lives of living descendants. Outline of the Curricular Framework: Anglicanization Atlantic slave trade "Atlantic World" Barbados (sugar) British-American system of slavery the Carolinas (rice) Caste system cereal crops Colonial resistance Dominion of New England Enlightenment Furs Great Awakening Indentured Servants Mercantilism Metis Models of colonization Molasses Act GAZETTE: In trying to understand African spirituality, is it helpful to refer to it as polytheistic or monotheistic? It doesnt have a fixed creed, like in some forms of Christianity or Islam. (back to text), Photo credit: Sebastien Desarmaux/GODONG/Godong/Corbis, Part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA This article concerned itself with the modern encounter between Christianity and African Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. Some individuals have criticized these books -- and no book is perfect. The word Vodou means spirit or deity in the Fon language of the African kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin). They do this by having Africans increasingly identify themselves as either Muslim or Christian, thus denying their unique African worldview that has always viewed as evidenced in their creation myths everything as unified and connected to the land, the place were ones clan, lineage, and people were cosmically birthed. The first and most intriguing topic that immediately engaged my attention was the thinking of African peoples about God. Overall, however, Christians outnumber Muslims in sub-Saharan Africa by about two-to-one. Subscriptions are available to libraries and individuals who are not members of CASCA. I also celebrate and honor the kings festivals and ceremonies in my hometown and other places where I live and do research. v6 -j>,>Or%I&!To !{vgrh7xxDs}d[!$8k1zX+@}~ My doctoral studies in New Testament eschatology led me also to the field of Christology. As for the belief in God, it appears that the Bira have utilized Christianity to make their traditional God Mbali less remote and more caring, a change which has also made the Christian God more compassionate and forgiving of sins. Christianity: An African traditional religion - ghanaweb.com Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Vodou, also spelled Voodoo, Voudou, Vodun, or French Vaudou, a traditional Afro-Haitian religion. colonization_terms_apush.docx - ` Units 1 and 2 Vocabulary Most people in sub-Saharan Africa now identify with either Christianity or Islam. GAZETTE: How would you define indigenous African religions? In five countries (Tanzania, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal and Mali) majorities express this belief. After that date there will be more Christians in the south than in the north. Vodou represents a syncretism of the West African Vodun religion and Roman Catholicism by the descendants of the Dahomean, Kongo, Yoruba, and other ethnic groups who had been enslaved and transported to colonial Saint-Domingue (as Haiti was known then) and partly Christianized by Roman Catholic missionaries in the 16th and 17th centuries. Spirit possession plays an important role in Afro-Haitian religion, as it does in many other world religions. All too often, the result is conflict and radicalisation. www.ej-theology.org Christianity and Indigenisation in Africa Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. It is here that I have discovered the church in Burma, in the Pacific islands, the house church in China, the basic Christian communities in Latin America, the struggling church in South Africa, plus countless other endeavors of Christians all over the world. Because of this, Africa is now home to some of the world's largest Christian and Muslim communities. I told my father that I was coming home, he recalled. With it, one began to explore afresh the realm of Gods revelation and other treasures of our faith. As a resident fellow, Sherman will teach a study group on negotiation and diplomacy this semester. In most countries, however, less than one-in-twenty say this is their primary religious affiliation. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. This massive expansion within a short time is unprecedented in the history of Christianity. One African theologian, Gabriel Setiloane, has even argued that the concept of God which the missionaries presented to the Sotho-Tswana peoples was a devaluation of the traditional currency of Modimo (God) among the Sotho-Tswana. % Religious syncretism - Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica Nigeria, the most populous country in all of Africa, has the largest number of Muslims as well as the largest number of Christians in the region.3. The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God to our continent. In the 17th century a movement led by the German Protestant theologian George Calixtus aimed at reconciling the differences between the Protestants in Germany, but his efforts were disparaged by orthodox Christian leaders as syncretistic. Vodou is a worldview encompassing philosophy, medicine, justice, and religion. Indigenous Religion (AIR) in Africa. In this overpowering environment, one simply accepted this stand and looked at the world from its perspectives. God is not insensitive to the history of peoples other than Israel. They depended on the labor of enslaved Africans who often constituted the majority of the population in these areas and developed their own forms of cultural and religious autonomy Examples: plantation agriculture, the Carolinas (rice), Barbados (sugar), tobacco Colonial government Y.91sC@o9sJL9@XMw`7\`1%nRjBS %U=a{N>. In contrast, witchcraft beliefs persist. If they are two wavelengths, they make sense only when they move toward a convergence. This is in sharp contrast with the religious composition . The missionaries who introduced the gospel to Africa in the past 200 years did not bring God. 0 They are not mutually exclusive. Black Americans who identify with a religion are most likely to say belief in God is essential to what their faith means to them (84%), while large majorities say the same about opposing racism (76%) and sexism (71%). Since the Bible tells me that God is the Creator of all things, his activities in the world must clearly go beyond what is recorded in the Bible. Download chapter 3 in full (3-page PDF, <1MB), Photo credit: Sebastien Desarmaux/GODONG/Godong/Corbis, Part of the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. My findings were used in teaching, but eventually I put them together in a book, Concepts of God in Africa, published by the British publisher SPCK (1970). They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In four countries (Chad, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria and Tanzania), the number of Christians and Muslims is more equally divided, with a ratio of less than two-to-one in either direction.2 The other countries surveyed are predominantly Christian with Muslim minorities of varying sizes. (1981) and Ph.D. (1983) in the history of religions from Boston University. Aujourd'hui, la plupart des Zariens sont soit catholiques, soit protestants; les Biras pour leur part sont principalement catholiques. Today, the country claims about 80 million of each . Amen. Chapter 1: Religious Affiliation | Pew Research Center The recipient of many prestigious academic honors and research fellowships, Olupona also received the 20152016 Reimar Lust Award for International and Cultural Exchange, considered one of Germanys most prestigious academic honors. The Yoruba diviners, for example, draw on this extensive indigenous knowledge every day by consulting Ifa, an extensive literary corpus of information covering science, medicine, cosmology, and metaphysics. In this case, so-called "salvation history" must widen its outreach in order to embrace the horizons of other peoples histories. Indigenous African religion is primarily an oral tradition and has never been fully codified; thus, it allows itself to more easily be amended and influenced by other religious ideas, religious wisdom, and by modern development. Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Gender. This is not an empty coincidence. My interpretation of Israels history demands a new look at the history of African peoples, among whom this same God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has indeed been at work. Ancestors also serve as intermediaries (see ancestor worship). GAZETTE: What else would we lose if we lost traditional African Religions? "For us in Africa, God is not dead" -- and that applies whether or not there is a written record of his relations with and concern for people. <<6D546C3FADADB2110A00A09A6B9CFF7F>]/Prev 416812>> When we identify the God of the Bible as the same God who is known through African religion (whatever its limitations), we must also take it that God has had a historical relationship with African peoples. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. Read our research on: Congress | Economy | Gender, Side by side with their high levels of commitment to Christianity and Islam, many people in the countries surveyed retain beliefs and rituals that are characteristic of traditional African religions. Conflicts Between African Traditional Religion and Christianity in And if these shrines are not properly cared for by the designated descendant, then misfortune in the form of illness might befall the caretaker.
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